Joe’s Truck House

I don’t feel I missed anything beyond this form of life. Yes, I gave up a lot of stuff-books, clothing and other unnecessary things we all registers. But gained freedom. Real freedom. Freedom of movement, that allows me to live near the beach, in the beautiful wooded area, or even in the city. Freedom from taxes, electricity, cable companies and corporations.

A work truck converted into a rolling home. Photos by Ilan Nachum. More info. here (translated).

Reading the original Hebrew text from the article, the word “shekel” was kind of erroneously translated to “dollar.” An Israeli shekel is worth about 0.29 of an American dollar, so that would explain why the numbers seem so large.

I bought a camper for $4000 American Dollars. I have a pick-up that pulls it. Anyone can do this. You aren’t truly free though. You still have to pay for gas and food. These campers don’t get good gas mileage. Pulling my camper, I probably get 10 mpg. A motor home gets even worse gas mileage. You still need some way to make money to pay for your food and gas. And most campgrounds make you pay for a spot. There are places where you can stay for free, I’m sure. My camper doesn’t have solar panels, but that would help you be more self sufficient…so you wouldn’t have to have a campsite with electricity. Good luck with your dreams. Someday I will get in my camper and go to the ocean in the winter and the mountains in the summer! Planning on working at a fun little job like working at a gift shop or even a campground host so I can stay free at the campground. Hopefully will have time to paint and create!

This is absolutely stunning – my family and I are planning a similar escape – may I ask how you have sorted out the food situation? We will be growing our own via a homestead in the mountains – how have you done it? Very much looking forward to your reply!

WOW I love the timber, very nice I have a Euro Cargo Iveco and one day I would love to place a mobile home on it to travel around Australia. I love freedom too but I love a home base more with a garden!

Ugh.. Why does everyone always feel the need to call upon imaginary creatures to bless things. GROW UP! Imagine how people would look at you if you went around saying “Oh may Santa bless you..” as an adult. Thats just as foolish. You’re grown, time to put away childish things, and imaginary friends.

I really appreciate your open-mindedness and the way you so lovingly accept diverse opinions from others! You do such a wonderful impersonation of a human being, it must have taken years of practice!!!

I don’t understand why people need to call out other people for their individual beliefs. I’m agnostic, so I’m not critical towards theists for claiming to KNOW there is a god, or atheists for claiming to KNOW there isn’t. I suppose you have just as much freedom to needlessly impose your unoriginal argument on this person as they do to type god bless at the end of their post. God bless america! Sorry promise, I know that just makes you say ugh.

would like to know how u figured enough watts to service ur home…how many solar panels isn’t enough to figure it out. looking into simple, small living, but wanted to know the electical freedom of all this. so how did u figure…what equation, i guess..help me…lol

I realize that everyone has a different aesthetic sense in HOW to live but >this< place is a shining example to those people who think Tiny Homes = Unibomber. Sublime elegance. I am so very happy for the man who lives here. 😀

Being that this house is built on a cab-over truck, it most likely runs on diesel, which means it could also quite easily run on straight (albeit, filtered) vegetable oil with very little actual diesel being used (just enough to warm up upon starting & purge before stopping). It’s quite easy to do! Btw, I’m not talking biodiesel, either. Instead, recycling used vegetable oil that can often be obtained for free! Much better than fuel cells that require an extraordinary amount of environmentally harmful battery components to manufacture & operate, not to mention, the technology is far from being readily available to ‘Joe-Public.’

Just so you know…. it’s a lie. He is NOT free from taxes, everything he made out of that truck had taxes… solar panels are taxed like NO other. Also, the truck is not ‘free’ either… he pays taxes for that. he pays taxes for sustainability of living, for groceries, for gas, for electricity when he hooks up at a campground when his solar panels are not working….. I can go on. The ‘hippy’ mentality drives me up the wall when someone actually claims to be “free” of things in life when they are right there in the midst of them. Sure, he may not have a cable bill or doesn’t pay rent (although he does pay ‘rent’ for where ever he sets up camp).

It’s truly amazing because the truck front (engine) that he has is from a HUGE corporation who specializes in the creation of those types of trucks. So, everything he THINKS he is free of, he isn’t. He just found a way to live a more frugal lifestyle than most other people and there is nothing wrong with that. There IS something wrong with someone claiming to live a certain way they are CLEARLY not. That is all…

I really love the wood effect. Two questions that I do have though. Why is there no picture of the bathroom facilities or are there not any.. Secondly, why is the front wheel covered in the outside photograph. Just curious.

Great Life style Joe, I have wanted something like that for more than 20 years. I feel you and understand why you choose to live the way you’re living. As a writer it has to be the hands on freedom one can ever experience God Bless
you…

Hey friend! My name is Phillipe and i am from Brazil. Would like to say that you are my hero. Thats a great form to live. Next the sky, the plants and animals. I would love to live like you, but here in Brazil, thats not so posible like in your country. Here we don´t have this kinda cars or they are veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery expensive.
Hugs from Rio, bub!!!!!!!!!!
Stay in peace!

Good for you Joe.. I don’t want to be a slave to society either.. Living off of the grid is so ideal and more affordable than this life in San Francisco where a loaf of bread is an astounding $5.00.. Sure, it may be nice to live in San Francisco, but when all of your earned income goes towards rent.. where is the fun in life? I am with you..

Joe’s got the “boot” on his front tire, he must of tried to park it in San Francisco for the night.. ha ha.. just kidding.. although, they have passed ordinances here where anything over so many feet long has to be moved and can not be parked in certain areas overnight.. the good thing with that though is… you actually have to answer your door to receive the citation.. i don’t know about you, but I don’t answer my door unless I am expecting somebody… ha ha..

I want to do this very thing. My mental plan to build one using a 26′ Uhaul type moving truck. The one with the “granny’s attic” space above the cab. I want to use Pallets and Reclaimed wood for most of the siding and inner structure with only the frame being new wood if possible. What kind of plumbing are you running? Are you using a composting toilet? How about hot water? So many questions!!

Really cool mini house! I’d take it to one of these naturist resorts http://www.aanr.com/places-to-go/featured-clubs and just relax and enjoy the sunshine. Definitely a great traveling opportunity to drive wherever you want to and enjoy life naturally